The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1887-07-01
Plating the Dead

ne disposition OF the BODY after
death has been a subject of interest
from the earliest recorded era. The
classic writings are filled with refer
ences to this matter; and the various
kinds of burial or its equivalent, and
the ceremonies attendant upon the last
rites, form no inconsiderable poi tion of
both Greek and Latin literature. The
ancient kinds of burial were chiefly
four-buryiDg, burning, embalming,
and storing, the latter having reference
to catacombs, vaults and similar receipt
acles. All are too familiar to need
more than passing reference.
The custom of the Jews seems to
have been to bury the bodies of the
dead; the Egyptians were the great
masters of the art of embalming; the
Romans excavated the great catacombs
which are one OF the wonders OF the
Eternal City to-day; while tie practice
of burning bodies seems to have OBJ
tained generally among most ancient
nations in certain circumstances.
Modern science, on sanitary ground,
has determined positively against the
common practice of inhumation.
Wherever the population is dense-as
it is in all great cities-it is seen at
once that the custom Of burying the bod
les of deceased persons is certain and
fruitful source of disease Water and
air are alike polluted and rendered
dangerous to lite by the placing in the
earth of the lifeless Jumps of clay which
will in time be resolved into their
original elements; but which in the
meantime, give forth noxious exhala-
tlons. For this reason the practice of
intra- mural burial has been done away
with, and modern cemeteries are placed
as far as possible from municipal GEN.
tres.
In lieu of inhumation, the scientists
of the present day have devised four
methods-namely, cremation, cooking,
cementation and eleotro-plating.
Cremation is only the old time class
ic pyre, without any of its unpleasant
and revolving attendants The body
is reduced to handful of ashes by in
tense heat in furnace 80 arranged that
nothing disagreeable passes off during
the process.
The process of cooking is similar;
but instead of being burned, the body
is exposed to fameless heat aud re.
duced to hard, brittle substance in.
stead of ashes.
Cen entaton does not deal directly
with the body, but with its environ
ment. 1t consists in Theoretically seal
ing the coffin by placing coat of the
finest cement all arouI9 it. The ad-
vantages of sarcophag gus are in this
way secured without much expense.
But the last meth cd, and one which
is growing into popular favor is elec-
tro-plating. 1t is the application of
perfectly even metallic coating to the
surface of the body itself by the same
process as that which produces an
electrotype plate. The method is
briefly this:-
The body is washed with alcohol
and spripkled over with fine graph
powder to insure the perfect conduc-
tion of electricity. 1t is then placed in
a bath of metallic solution containing a
piece of the metal to be used. To this
is attached the positive pole of strong
battery; the negative pole is applied to
the corpse, and fine film of the metal
at once begins to cover the body per-
fecty and evenly. This may be kept
up until the coating attains any desir-
ed thickness.
To this process there would seem to
be no valid objection. In effect 1t
transform the corpse into a beautif ul
statue-form, features and even ex-
preston being perfectly preserved.
The body being hermetically sealed
within its metal inclosure, merely dries
up and assumes the aspect of a
mummy.
This method obviates many objec-
tions which have been urged against
cremation, and at the same time meets
the wishes of those whose sentiment,
if nothing else, ,inclines them to favor the
human form divine, which its reduction
to a handful of ashes causes to many
people is entirely done away with, as
no rude hand is laid upon the once
loved form. No change is brought
about in appearance except that face
and figure are covered with a shining
veil, through which the familiar Inca
ments appear with their well-remem-
bered characteristics and expression.